


Sing

by written_in_starlight



Series: TUA+MCR fics [1]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: (i love that that's a tag lol), Based on a My Chemical Romance Song, Gen, Post-Apocalypse, Vanya's done with this shit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-02
Updated: 2019-10-07
Packaged: 2020-11-22 03:43:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20867645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/written_in_starlight/pseuds/written_in_starlight
Summary: Vanya knows five thingsFirst, she did not, nor did she everwantto cause the apocalypse.Second, an organization called Whisper is apparently taking the credit for the apocalypse.Third, her brother has always said she's been too soft-hearted for her own good.Fourth, she's probably proving him right, trying to save whoever survived the apocalypse.Fifth. The presumed-dead trainwreck that was the Umbrella Academy isstanding right in front of her.Sometimes Vanya has to wonder when her life became socrazy.(Easy answer. When the apocalypse happened.)~~~~~~Slight AU of my other AU, Second Time Lucky. Moral of the story is, Vanya's adopted by a different family and is raised to think she's ordinary. Shenanigans ensue. Any other necessary canon-divergence will eventually be explained in-story.On indefinite hiatus until I figure out the rest of the plot.





	1. Another Dead End

**Author's Note:**

> Because I had the thought of "Hey, you know what sounds like a good idea? The Umbrella Academy fics inspired by My Chemical Romance songs." And so now I have Ideas and of course I have to start with what is probably my favorite MCR song, "Sing". And in typical me fashion, what was _supposed_ to be one chapter has turned into... this. Oops lol  
(there's a reason I can't write short stories folks)

Vanya stared up at the Icarus Theater, foreboding stirring in her gut. Unlike the other buildings surrounding it, the theater still stood tall and proud, despite all the _shit _it had gone through before they’d abandoned it for good.

“I still think this entire thing is a set up,” Chris muttered in her ear. “It’s too much of a coincidence, right?”

“We’ve already agreed to follow every lead we have,” Vanya replied. “No mater how sketch.”

Chris grumbled.

“Ava?”

Silence.

Vanya was just about to call for her friend again when Ava’s voice crackled over her earpiece. “I’m good V. Coast looks clear.”

“Alright then. Stand back and be ready.”

Chris and Ava both voiced their affirmations as Vanya climbed the steps to the theater and entered through the half-open door.

Dust hung thickly in the air, lit up in strips by the late-afternoon sun trickling through the windows. Vanya carefully crossed the lobby, eyes constantly roaming, looking for danger, taking in the damage five years and countless firefights had inflicted on the walls. She made it safely to the theater.

The destruction was worse here. There were cracks in the ceiling letting in more beams of sunlight, many of the decorative moldings and light fixtures had fallen or been broken, and the ground was covered in dust and the remains of chairs and masonry. Somebody had pulled the grand piano from where it had been shoved in a corner to center stage. Presumably it was the same person who was currently playing a hauntingly familiar tune.

The sound of Vanya’s footsteps was unmistakable in the quiet remains of the theater, and the piano music cut off.

“Do mine ears deceive me?”

“You have company,” Vanya replied, making her way halfway to the stage.

“And what brings a young woman like yourself here this afternoon?” The piano bench was hidden behind the piano, and the lid was raised. All Vanya could see of the player was mousy brown hair and a receding hairline.

“I came chasing a rumor,” Vanya said, stopping in the center of the theater. Glass crunched underfoot, the remains of a opulent chandelier that hadn’t survived very long. “Of a survivor.”

The piano player chuckled. “It’s been five years.”

“And when it happened, I swore I was going to do everything in my power to save whoever was left,” Vanya said.

“And how much power is that?”

“Enough.”

“Enough that you walk in with your weapons holstered.”

“Enough,” Vanya repeated.

“Tell me, Miss Vanya Hargreeves.” And the piano player stood and made his way to the front of the stage to sit and dangle his legs into the audience. “Are you really so powerful you would walk into what seems to be a trap?”

Chris hissed in Vanya’s ear.

“Depends on what your sources would say.”

Some could be reasoned with. Some had completely lost their sanity. And some had been insane long before this.

“But then again, I wouldn’t entirely trust them,” Vanya continued, idly playing with a length of chain on her belt. It had originally come from this chandelier, funnily enough. “I have never gone by the name Vanya Hargreeves.”

“Not in this universe.” The piano player’s glasses made his eyes bug out, giving him an unhinged look.

“Well this is the only one that matters.” Vanya narrowed her eyes. “I’m getting the feeling this is just going to be a waste of time.”

“Not for Whisper, Miss Vanya Hargreeves.”

“We should have known,” Ava groaned.

“After all, you are a difficult woman to find alone, much less when you’re not in a fighting mood.”

“Whisper knows my answer,” Vanya replied shortly. “It still has not changed.”

“You could rule the world,” the piano player said.

“I don’t want to rule the world!”

“Just your little ragtag group,” the piano player laughed.

“I don’t want to rule anybody,” Vanya hissed. “I’ve seen too many people die in the past five years, I just want the people I love to _survive_.”

“And they will if you join Whisper.”

“If they join Whisper, you’ll treat them like dogs,” Vanya laughed bitterly. “Whisper only cares about us. The 43. Or what’s left of us.”

“Yes, truly tragic what happened to those in the Umbrella Academy.”

“And what about those you killed because they refused to join Whisper?” Vanya met his bug-eyes steadily.

“They chose their fate. Just like you will choose yours.”

“V—”

“Fuck this noise,” Vanya hissed, turning on her heel.

The crunch of glass was drowned out by Chris’s yell and the subsequent explosion that Vanya had been expecting, and she drew the noise around her like a shield and continued walking. As the flames subsided, figures appeared from the smoke, but Vanya shoved them aside effortlessly.

“Tell Whisper to fuck off!” she yelled back into the smoky theater, before making a break for it.

Unsurprisingly, the theater was surrounded, but as shots rained down around Vanya, she could hear Chris and Ava returning fire.

“Retreat!” Vanya ordered, taking off herself to lose Whisper in the rubble of the surrounding buildings.

Being the main target, it took Vanya the longest to shake her pursuers, therefore she was not surprised she was the last back to the bikes.

“Oh for fuck’s sake.” Chris pulled her into a hug as soon as she was close enough. “You okay there V?”

Vanya winced as her side throbbed in pain. “Got shot a little.”

“Shit!”

“It’s fine, just my side. I’ll make it back. Just tripped a little bit, my shields fell, and pew!” Vanya mimed a gunshot with her fingers as Chris let go.

“You are way too cavalier about this,” Ava sighed, holding Vanya’s shoulders and looking her up and down.

“I’m way too fucking done with Whisper trying to recruit me,” Vanya replied. “Come on, let’s get going before I really collapse.”

This patch of forest looked just as unassuming as any other. Dead, scorched trees stood tall, creaking softly in the breeze, while the lower levels had already started growing back, covering the ash and dirt with tiny trees and sprawling vines.

But it had been four-and-a-half years since they started scoping it out as a secondary base, and three years since they made the move from secondary base to primary, so Vanya effortlessly slipped through the gaps in the foliage, and through the points in the illusions and shields that would let her through.

She ducked under one last gap, and the air shimmered as the base revealed itself, a gangly figure already making their way towards them.

“Are you alright?” Pale eyes scanned the three, searching desperately for something he couldn’t see.

“We’re alright Damien,” Vanya reassured him. “This is the timeline we all make it back.”

Damien visibly relaxed a bit. “And…?” He hesitated on the question.

“It was a dud,” Chris growled. “Come on V, you need to get some medical attention.”

Damien’s eyes widened.

“I’m fine!” Vanya argued. She hated worrying the others.

“Bullshit,” Ava snorted. “Come on V, you can’t keep doing this shit if you’re dealing with an infected bullet wound.”

Vanya huffed, but knew she couldn’t argue with Ava. Instead, she let Chris drag her to the medical facility, habit keeping Ava by her side and Damien tagging along.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized as they walked. “I thought—I hoped—he could have been reasoned with, I know it, just—”

“Whisper got to him first,” Vanya murmured. Shit, the world was starting to sway. Chris and Ava really had a point.

“I truly am sorry Vanya.”

“Way back when, I swore I’d save everybody I could,” Vanya said. “Even those assholes in Whisper, if they can still be reasoned with.”

As they walked into the medical facility, familiar gold eyes popped up over the counter, then widened. “Shit V!”

Vanya felt Ava bristle by her side. The nickname had always been Ava’s and Chris’s, and Ava had become more than a little possessive of Vanya in the past few years.

“No, don’t you fucking dare—” Vanya started, but she realized just how weak she had gotten as she was dragged off her feet and carried into one of the rooms. “Alex, no—Fuck!” She hissed through her teeth as Alex pressed down on the bullet wound.

“You’re always so stubborn V.”

“Don’t use your damn powers on me!”

“You’re the only mission that went out today, it’ll be fine.”

“Don’t be so fucking blasé about it!”

“Quiet.”

Vanya whimpered and let her head fall back as Alex worked their magic. Normally she would argue more, but she was just _tired_.

“What the hell happened?”

Vanya realized her eyes had slipped shut, so assumed the question wasn’t aimed at her. Good, because she didn’t want to answer. God, she was _tired_.

“With the mission, or to V?” Chris responded.

“Either.”

“Mission was a dud. V got shot,” Ava retorted.

“Ava,” Vanya murmured. She really, _really _didn’t like Ava and Alex fighting.

“So it’s the timeline where you went, got ambushed, and Vanya got shot while getting away?” Damien asked.

“Yeah, just about,” Chris replied.

Vanya was starting to feel a little better, so she sat up, ignoring Alex’s offended noise. “Yo, why the fuck are all y’all still here?”

“Because none of us are keen on letting you out of our sight V,” Chris replied.

“Fuck.” Vanya fell back, letting out a half-laugh. She hated that they cared so much, but she knew she would be in their exact shoes should any of their positions be reversed (bar Alex. Healing was their gift, and Vanya would be left a worried, useless mess if anything happened to the treasured medic).

And Vanya was tired, so she let Alex finish healing her and listened to Chris and Ava murmuring to each other (about her? Probably about her), and quietly wished, not for the first time in five years, that this _stupid apocalypse _had never happened.


	2. Let's Take a Trip Down Memory Lane

Realistically, the whole story on how they got into this post-apocalyptic world is incredibly long, and really, nobody knows every single detail anyways. So let’s paraphrase a little and tell the short, condensed version of how they all ended up here.

On October 1, 1989, forty-three women unexpectedly gave birth.

(Everybody knows this)

Among them were the six who would become the Umbrella Academy, their supposed “ordinary” sister, and others like Alex and Damien.

Sir Reginald Hargreeves adopted seven of these children.

(Everybody thinks he only got six)

What happened to the other 36 children? Well, only they really know.

When the children were four years old, one of them lost control of her powers. Sir Reginald decided to send her away, and she was adopted by nice, loving parents and dubbed Vanya Maria Hernandez. She’s supposed to grow up with no clue about her powers and no recollections of the Academy. Only the love of her parents and the teasing of her older brother Chris.

(Meanwhile, Sir Reginald and Pogo know about her powers and where she’s gone. Her siblings know she’s been sent away, but they think it’s because she’s ordinary. They forget about her soon enough. They’re only four.)

The Umbrella Academy grew up, came into the public eye, and very publicly fell apart.

Vanya decided to stay _far _away from that trainwreck, and spent her time focusing on her violin and her hidden powers with the help of Chris and Ava.

Enter That Fateful Night. It started out relatively normally, all things considered. Vanya had a concert. Ava and Annalise and Chris attended. Vanya’s adopted parents, recently deceased, did not.

It wasn’t until the end of the concert when things started to go to shit. When the ground started to shake, and those who had started to sneak out early returned, yelling about the moon falling apart and fire in the sky.

Ever since they were young, Chris had called Vanya a bleeding heart, watching as she would help frogs cross the street. At her lowest, Ava would laugh and say that Vanya must have a thing for saving people. In a way, they were both right.

So when people started panicking about the end of the world, Vanya barely took a second to think as she gathered the pent up energy from the concert and desperately tried to protect those around her. _Please at the very least protect those in the theater, I have to save Chris and Ava and Annalise—_

When Vanya woke up a week later, the world was in ruins.

The theater survived the blast, thanks to Vanya’s power. The rest of the world wasn’t so lucky.

Reports came trickling in. Somebody jerry-rigged a radio system and listened to whatever comes through.

The rumor is that an organization named Whisper was responsible for the apocalypse, that even now they are hunting down survivors. They’re looking for the 43 that had been born October 1, 1989. The 43 who had unnatural powers. People like Vanya.

And Vanya listened to the crackling radio, in the shell of the theater that has started to be hollowed out to make a decent living space, and she cursed Whisper under her breath, careful not to wake a sleeping Annalise. She doesn’t know what Whisper wants with her, but she knows she wants no part in it. And if they’re so damned determined to end the world and take them prisoner, then she’s going to do her _fucking best _to survive and save everybody left from Whisper’s control.

Ava and Chris sighed and shook their heads, but they’ll follow Vanya through this hell, if only to inevitably save her ass.

The rumor mill also tells of the fate of the well-known Umbrella Academy: that nobody really knows. Some say they saw them disappear in a flash of blue light, moments before the apocalypse hit. Some say they’re dead. Some think they time traveled. _Didn’t one of them, that Five, yeah couldn’t he time travel? _But really, nobody knows.

Vanya found she didn’t care too much about their fate. If they survived, they’d have to find their own way in this hell. Vanya’s too busy with surviving and helping where she can.

And slowly, but surely, they found people. Normal people who were lucky enough to be underground or otherwise protected when the apocalypse hit. And some of the 43.

Among them:

Valerian, an illusionist who immediately bunkered down and started hiding their secondary base in the forest just outside of the city.

Damien, who could see the future, but was never _quite _sure which of the twisting paths would be followed.

Alex, who had introduced themselves by walking up and healing Vanya while Chris and Ava debated how to get her back to the theater.

As their resistance grew, so did the frequency of attacks by Whisper. Until finally they had to go into hiding, abandoning the theater that had sheltered them since the apocalypse started. Leaving it behind for their hidden safe place in the forest.

And that brings us back into the present. Short and concise, no?

…… Okay, but it could have been much longer and you know it.


	3. Going In Blind

Vanya woke to the unshakable gut feeling that _she wasn’t alone_. As she rolled out of bed, already reaching for the tuning fork she kept by her pillow, she registered a few things.

Firstly, that it was dark.

Secondly, she was still in the medical facility, with Chris and Ava asleep on cots nearby.

Thirdly, as Vanya found her tuning fork still in her pocket from yesterday, she met Valerian’s green eyes.

Vanya relaxed with a sigh. “Val, don’t scare me like that,” she whispered.

“I’m sorry, but there’s somebody at the edge of the base.”

Vanya hissed. “Do you know who? Where’d they come from?”

Vanya glanced at Chris and Ava, but they were still fast asleep, and Vanya was loathe to wake them when she_ knew_ they hadn’t been sleeping well, so she pulled Valerian out of the room.

“No.” Valerian shook her head. “I was watching the perimeter and they just showed up in a flash of light.”

Vanya frowned. “Doesn’t sound like anybody we know at Whisper.”

“No it doesn’t.”

As the two emerged from the medical facility, Vanya nearly tripped over Damien, who was dozing off on the steps.

“When did you get here?” Valerian asked.

Damien scrambled to his feet. “You went for Vanya?”

“Yes,” Valerian said hesitantly.

“What can you tell us about these potential threats?” Vanya asked, looping her arm with Damien’s to pull him along.

Damien focused, but he hissed in pain. “I can’t see anything,” he admitted. “One of them is screwing with the timelines.”

“Intentionally?”

“I can’t say.”

Vanya hummed thoughtfully. “I’m going to go confront them,” she said.

“No surprise there,” Damien muttered.

“Without backup?” Valerian asked nervously.

“Of course not, I have you two.”

Vanya knew her words would do nothing to assuage Valerian’s fears. After all, Valerian had spent the whole apocalypse avoiding every fight she could, and Damien wasn’t much help since he couldn’t see.

“But in all seriousness, I’ll be fine. If it’ll make you feel better, stand watch. If I activate my powers, run and get somebody.”

Chris and Ava would have never let her out on her own, but they were asleep, and Valerian was timid and scared and agreed to the plan.

They reached the border of the base, and Vanya released Damien.

“Anything?” she asked him again.

“Nothing.”

Vanya didn’t like going in blind, but she’d done worse before Damien had joined them.

“Here.” Valerian tapped her on the head, and Vanya felt a chill wash over her as Valerian weaved her illusions. “Just so Whisper won’t recognize you,” Valerian said, disappearing from sight moments later as she disguised herself.

“Thanks Val.” Vanya turned to Damien. “If anybody asks—”

“Tell them you went to check out a threat and I can’t see which path you took?”

“Yeah, sounds good.” Vanya double checked that her tuning fork was still in her pocket, then she slipped between the illusions, Valerian close on her heels.

The dead forest creaked in the nighttime breeze, but the sounds of people arguing were unmistakable. Vanya motioned for Valerian to stay where she was, then crept towards the voices.

“I thought you would bring us back in time, not forward!”

“I must have gotten the equations wrong.” That voice sounded like a _kid_. “It was a stressful situation, cut me some slack!”

“Do you know how far forward we jumped?” a woman asked.

“I don’t know,” the kid responded. “Could be five years, could be fifty.”

“Hey, does anybody get the feeling we’re being watched?” a new person asked.

_And that’s my cue_. Vanya slipped from the trees, tuning fork at the ready. Five people were gathered around the clearing, one of them a kid no older than fifteen.

“Who are you?” Vanya demanded.

“I think we should be asking you that,” the tallest one said. He looked like he could break Vanya in half, but Vanya had long stopped counting that into her risk assessment. She had powers, and she would use them to _survive_ if need be.

Vanya ignored his demand. “More importantly, have you heard of Whisper?” Usually, Whisper recruiters were too conceited and self-assured to think of the dangers of announcing their alliance. It was really the only surefire way of telling who was a part or not.

“Whisper?” Another of the men frowned.

“I’m sorry,” the woman cut in, “but could you tell us where and when we are?”

“When—?” Valerian’s words flashed through Vanya’s mind. _Showed up in a flash of light._ And a memory, of a voice coming through a staticky radio, _Rumor has it the Umbrella Academy has vanished, quite literally, in a flash of blue light._

“You’re the Umbrella Academy?”

“What’s left of it.” It appeared the woman was more willing to talk than the boys. Her brothers.

Standing in front of Vanya were five of the 43, and Whisper had no idea.

Vanya bared her teeth in a grin at the thought of maybe gaining the upper hand on Whisper. “Come on,” she ordered the Academy. “We have a safe place nearby. I’ll fill you in when we get there.”


	4. Explanations and Trust

Of course, Vanya wasn’t so trusting that she would just immediately bring them to the base. They had a small bunker built a few miles away, as an extra security measure in case one of their survivors happened to be secretly working for Whisper. And that’s where Vanya took the former Umbrella Academy, with whispered instructions for Valerian to wake Chris and Ava and send them her way.

“Jeez,” the woman muttered as they walked. Vanya recognized her as the one who had become an actress when she left the Academy. Allison, Vanya thought her name was. “What the hell happened here?” Allison continued.

“The apocalypse,” Vanya said flatly.

“This isn’t the apocalypse,” the kid said, sounding like a condescending prick in the way only a teenager could.

Vanya bristled at the implication that he somehow _knew _how this was supposed to go. “And how do you know so much about the apocalypse?” she demanded.

“Hey, cool it,” one of the men said, sounding like he was talking as much to the kid as Vanya. “We’ll all answer questions when we’re safe, okay?”

Vanya felt uncomfortable turning her back on the kid, his supposed knowledge of the apocalypse pointing towards involvement with Whisper, but she reasoned she could hopefully take him in a fight, and if not, Chris and Ava were on their way.

It wasn’t much longer before they reached the bunker, Vanya crouching to brush away debris and the illusions covering the entrance.

The interior was sparsely decorated; a table and a handful of chairs in the main area, a minimal kitchen, and a few bedrooms. Vanya leaned against a countertop while the Academy scattered throughout the rest of the room.

“First things first,” Vanya said. “It’s been ages since I’ve seen your faces. Gonna need names.”

Her memory had served her correct with Allison’s name, and the others were Luther, Diego, Klaus, and the kid was Five.

“And who are you?” Luther demanded.

“Vanya,” Vanya replied. She didn’t see the need to lie, at least about her name.

“You said something about the apocalypse earlier,” Allison said. “What happened?”

Vanya shrugged. “To be honest, I don’t really know. I know that Whisper caused it, but as for the how and why, I have no clue.”

“You keep mentioning this Whisper,” Diego cut in. “Who are they?”

“Whisper likes to keep to themselves, unless they’re recruiting you,” Vanya admitted. “So what we know is that they’re claiming responsibility for the apocalypse, and they’re also looking for survivors.”

“Also?” Allison frowned.

“Whisper’s looking for the 43,” Vanya said. “Don’t know why, but they’re willing to cause this apocalypse to get to them. And they’re willing to kill to get what they want. Including those who refuse.”

Vanya couldn’t even begin to count the close calls she’d had with Whisper. She didn’t want to count those that involved somebody dying before she could get them to safety or to Alex.

“Anybody else is either killed or enslaved, from what we hear.”

“The 43?”

“The 43 kids born unexpectedly on October 1, 1989,” Vanya rattled off. “You guys. And the rest of them that Hargreeves didn’t get to.”

“And judging by your tone, you’re not with Whisper?” Allison asked.

“Hell nah.” Vanya laughed. “Whisper fucking hates us because we’re determined to help out whoever else survived this mess.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m a bleeding heart and people apparently follow me.”

“We’re getting off track here,” Luther said. Vanya didn’t even know they were _on _a track. “How long has it been since the apocalypse?”

“Five years, just about.” Vanya had a vague knowledge of the date, since some people insisted on keeping track of time.

“This isn’t the apocalypse,” Five insisted.

“And how are you so sure?” Vanya shot back.

“Because I traveled to the future,” Five argued. “And there was nothing and nobody else left alive!”

Vanya snorted. “The future isn’t set in stone kid. Something about your time traveling must have changed it.” And it was starting to make sense why Damien couldn’t see any possibilities about their meeting. If Five could time travel, he was probably changing the timelines without even realizing it, making Damien’s powers short out.

The door above them opened, and the Umbrella Academy jumped.

“Relax. I called for backup in case you were unfriendly,” Vanya explained.

“V!” Ava hopped the last few steps and ran into Vanya’s waiting arms. “Don’t run off like that! You’re lucky Val came when she did, I just woke up and noticed you missing.”

“Hey, Val came to me for help.” Vanya pressed a kiss to Ava’s temple. “Promise I would have woken you if I needed the backup. You needed to sleep.”

“I can’t lose you too V.”

“I know.” Vanya kissed her again. “Continue this conversation later?”

Ava sighed, but nodded and let go of Vanya. She didn’t stray far though, looping her arm with Vanya’s, which Vanya accepted without protest.

“Don’t do stupid shit,” Chris muttered, ruffling her hair as he jumped to sit on the counter.

Vanya blew a stray strand of hair out of her eyes. “Chris, Ava, the Umbrella Academy,” she gestured at the group scattered about.

“Umbrella Academy, Chris and Ava.” Introductions out of the way, she continued. “Moral of the story is, Whisper are assholes, and we’ve been working against them basically these entire past five years.”

“And how do we know we can trust you?” Luther demanded.

Vanya bared her teeth in a grin. “You don’t. But we don’t know we can trust you either, so at least the feeling is mutual.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In other news, school is kicking my ass. I just need to make it to Wednesday afternoon y'all and then we have break so ayyy.


End file.
